A variety of industries have daily or at least weekly routes to take in order to make deliveries to the various clients that they have. Those businesses rely on having a route that they can count on, and deliveries to the people who require them right away. It is a simple fact that customers want their deliveries as soon as possible.

Route Mapping Technology

Imagine that you have a variety of addresses to deliver to all on the same day. What do you do to get to all of those places in as little time as possible? Well, it might help to plan a route that requires the least amount of travel time.
In the past, people had to map out their routes by hand. It took a lot of time, and there was no guarantee that the route would be accurate. Mapping with technology has meant that improvements to the routes are now almost a guarantee.

Fuel Savings

Planning routes electronically is not just about providing higher quality customer service. Rather, there are also benefits to the bottom line that should be considered. Considering the changes in fuel costs, a delivery service of any kind cannot expect to be profitable. Planning a route helps to save on fuel costs as extra driving out of the way is eliminated.

Import Addresses And Relax

Users of mapping technology love the fact that they can import multiple addresses into the technology and have a mapped out route instantly. There is no need for them to consider any of the route planning themselves. Using the latest maps and location information, the technology can quickly and easily plan out a full route for you.
Contact us for more details on route planning and why you should consider it.

The magic of the Internet has brought us all the ability to purchase and receive the goods that we want right when we want them. After a few clicks and a purchase is made, the buyer simply waits a few days for the item to arrive, and then owns it. None of this would be possible though if prices were not kept down. One of the ways that they low, is through the use of a route planner.

Effective Routes To Anywhere

Delivery companies have to deliver shipments to a variety of different addresses within a tight time frame. In order to accomplish this task, delivery companies need to know how to get from Point A, B, C, and D with the least amount of travel possible. The more effective the route between all of those points, the less expense for the delivery company.
As delivery companies spend less money on their delivery process, they are able to charge lower fees for delivery. Those lower fees can then trickle down to the cost of goods in general.

Route Planners Require Less Experienced Employees

It used to be necessary to have very experienced employees to drive the delivery trucks. These would be the only kind of employees who knew how to travel the best routes. They could also command higher salaries as they were far more experienced and well trained. With route planning software, that experience and knowledge is no longer a requirement to find the best routes. Less experienced employees who demand lower salaries can be hired and once again bring down the costs associated with deliveries.

Packages Delivered All At Once

With efficient delivery, it is possible to get more packages out on the same day and via the same routes. This means that delivery companies can get more packages out in less time. This is another contributing factor to keeping prices down and goods more accessible than ever before.
Contact us for more information on route planning and delivery services.

If your business requires delivery of products and services to customers on a consistent basis, the odds are good that your transportation and routing costs are cutting into your bottom line. Finding the most efficient set of routes can be quite challenging and demanding, but doing so will improve your customer service and reduce your transportation costs. Your primary concern as far as distribution is prompt delivery at the lowest possible cost. In order to ensure the continued success of your business, it is important that your routing decisions increase and maintain your current service levels while simultaneously increasing profitability. Here we give you a few reasons why you may want to reconsider transportation routing software.

Transportation routing software can prove to be advantageous in more ways than one. The purpose of this software is to enhance your routing by merging software solutions and relevant knowledge. It serves as a catalyst for increased profits and customer satisfaction by:

Minimizing the number of vehicles and drivers you need to serve all your customers

Reducing the effort and staff time essential to determining optimal territories and routes

Not only can transportation routing software reduce costs but it can also improve your reputation among consumers and increase employee morale.

All of these factors will play a key role in efficient service, increased productivity, and reducing costs. Each of these points are of ultimate importance to sustain proficient business operations. You could actually be unintentionally doing your customers and employees a disservice by not utilizing transportation routing software. Customers expect reliability, dependability, and efficiency while your employees expect the necessary equipment to perform their duties competently. You want your business to be among the best in your industry; let transportation routing software assist in your continued success.

More and more fleet companies are turning to GPS technology for route planning solutions. These services provide a bird’s eye view for dispatchers, ensuring the fleet is running efficiently and that drivers are using the best route possible. When it takes your fleet drivers a reduced amount of time to get from point A to point B, this results in more jobs completed each day, less time wasted and reduced fuel consumption. Together, all of these things add up to a better bottom line.

The Assistance of Route Planning from GPS Tracking

Each benefit offered by GPS route planning ultimately leads to a more efficient business. The specific benefits include:

Ability to know where drivers are around the clock to dispatch someone who is closest to customers in need.

Ability to receive analysis of local traffic conditions to help drivers avoid construction or slow areas.

Ability to have the quickest route to a certain destination detected automatically.

Ability to help drivers from getting lost or help them get back on track if they become lost.

Affordable Investments That Simply Make Sense

Integrating GPS technology into your fleet management services ensures that you know exactly what is going on, how efficient your drivers are and if route changes need to be made. Additionally, when you invest in GPS services, you will receive a great value that will pay for itself when used on a consistent basis.

GPS technology is beneficial for businesses that manage fleets in two ways: it helps their drivers and the dispatchers. This can increase your business’s productivity, ensure higher quality customer service, reduce your costs and ensure that drivers operate vehicles in a safe manner. If you manage one, or an entire fleet of delivery business vehicles, GPS technology is a service you should consider investing in.

When you hear the term GPS, you probably picture a device on the windshield or dashboard of a vehicle, allowing the driver to obtain turn-by-turn directions. Navigation and route planner software, however, are only two aspects of GPS units. Maps in your GPS device are constantly updated to give you the most pertinent information.

Business Uses of GPS and Map Software

GPS is quite valuable for businesses, helping them track their trucks and light vehicles. It can also be used for other assets of companies, such as compressors and generators. Small GPS units can be installed on assets in 15 minutes or less.
GPS navigation devices are registered with tracking programs, which identify vehicles so that they can be tracked and managed. Map software can also show location and note whether the vehicle is moving or idle.

How Business Managers Use GPS Map Software for Fleet Management

GPS route planner software allows managers to track the location of vehicles and other assets on a dashboard type map that allows them to zoom in on any specific vehicles. Some systems also allow managers to contact the drivers.

Fleet managers can track only GPS data that is pertinent to them. Customized business usage plans feature custom alerts that allow managers to make sense out of the large amount of data that is collected.

Drivers Who Are Speeding Can Be Corrected

Managers can ensure that their drivers are operating their vehicles at safe rates of speed. Vehicles that are dangerously driven can affect not only other drivers, but the business as well. Customized alerts can be established for specific vehicles, with emails sent if the driver is speeding or otherwise driving in an unsafe manner.

Fleet Location Is Vital to Management

While your business site may be in one area, your job sites may be miles away. Map software allows you to reliably track multiple vehicles closely to ensure that they are complying with the requirements in the area in which they are working.
An alert can be configured that will notify you when fleet vehicles are being used outside of business hours or in unauthorized areas.

The Future of Fleet Management

Fleet vehicles are easily tracked by GPS, which makes fleet management easier. Monitoring vehicles is only one aspect of the services available for business managers. Map software also enables your drivers to get right to a job site, without delays for traffic or road closures.
The data you collect can be utilized for future business plans, including the costs projected for new jobs or the planning of work schedules. GPS software can provide reliable, accurate data for fleet vehicles.
The company from which you purchase GPS map software has the experience and expertise to help you monitor and handle fleet management of vehicles owned or leased by your company. Having control over your fleet vehicles will give you peace of mind and can save you money.

Google Purchases Waze

When Google purchased Waze, there were questions since Google already offered some of the services provided by Waze. The map software of the joint company offerings provides reliable information about the roads that you travel and traffic congestion along your way.
Waze does have user engagement, which Google may utilize with map software that allows GPS to track its users.

Drivers can enter information about accidents and road construction, which is helpful to others. Waze also includes significant advances in technology not found in Google maps. It also offers business features not offered by the original Google map software.
The technological prowess of Waze and the features offered by fleet management are integrated into GPS units that can be used to plan routes and also to track commercial vehicles.

Now that summer is almost here, you’re probably getting ready to field many vacation requests from your drivers. It’s always the same thing every year, and your drivers work hard, so you know they deserve some time off when the weather gets warmer. Even so, that generally means more work for either you, or for your office staff. However, with the right computer program or website, you can route multiple locations without pulling your hair out when you’re trying to deal with the changes.

Ease Your Drivers’ Minds

Whenever one of your drivers has to take a day off from their regular route, it probably causes a bit of chaos for your staff, as well as for the driver who has to take over. That chaos can be multiplied when drivers take a week or two off for vacations. Perhaps most of your drivers don’t know that particular route at all, or they’re not even familiar with the area. That can cause them a great deal of anxiety, and their days can be pretty frustrating by the time they’re finished. When you use a route planner you’ll find that making the changes is easy to the routes, and your drivers will be informed about all of the stops they’ll be making, even if they’ve never been to the area before.

Save Money

Making route changes takes a lot of time and energy. It takes you and your staff away from your other duties around the office or in the field. Not to mention, when drivers are not familiar with their routes, they often make a lot of wrong turns, or even get lost easily. When you use a route planner your company will save a great deal of money in every area of your business. Your route planning will be efficient, which allows you to maintain a consistent workflow in the office, and your drivers won’t have to put unnecessary miles on your vehicles.

Maintain Excellent Customer Service

When it comes right down to it, your goal is to keep your customers happy. Most likely, some of them expect their deliveries at a certain time. It’s an inconvenience to them when they have to wait. The right route planning method will make any changes you need to make to your routes absolutely seamless to the customer. That means you’ll be able to maintain your excellent customer service reputation, no matter what route planning challenges you might face.

If you would like more information about our routing program, and how it could work for your company, we’d love to talk to you. Please contact us today.

If you have a courier business or if you drive for a living or if you just need to visit multiple locations, you probably own a GPS device. A GPS route can sure make life much easier.

Field service, delivery or sales people can use a GPS as a business tool. One that can save them time while driving from place to place and navigating in unfamiliar territories. Getting from home to work and back is not a problem, you’ve done this a million times in any way you can think of, and you already know the best route. But if you are out and about, in a new territory, it will be a shame to waste your time on navigating and routing when there is a tool that can do that for you. You can save time, fuel and money, and save the environment while doing your job.

Some GPS devices can give you routes, not all models can. If your GPS supports routes, you can enter a few locations and set your device to connect them. Your GPS route cannot be changed and if you wish to plan it differently you’ll need to manually enter your locations, one by one. Whereas with a route planner, you can import a file with these locations and have all of them optimized within seconds. You can then see the full route and make any change you want. With a GPS, this just can’t be done.

Here is what we recommend:

1. Import your list of multiple locations and plan a route to cover all territories.

2. Watch all your routes on the map and make any manual changes you like.

4. Leave the office or home and start your day going green with an advantage – you have more time to visit more clients, and make more money.

FYI, if you don’t have a GPS, if your GPS doesn’t support routes or if you need to plan multiple routes at once – don’t go and buy a GPS. You can use a route planner as is, without importing a route plan to your GPS device. If you have multiple routes you can’t use a GPS anyhow:

1. Import your list of multiple locations and plan a route or multiple routes to cover all territories.

2. Watch all your routes on the map and make any manual changes you like.

3. Now simply send your route plan to your email and open it on your computer or mobile.

4. You’ll have a link to get driving directions and maps from Google Maps and you’ll do just fine with them, without the need to buy a new GPS.

You run a flower shop and you want people to buy your flowers. You’re putting your heart and soul into these flowers. You did everything right. You had the right training, you have the energy, creativity and the will to dedicate yourself to becoming a successful florist.

You have your own website, you have the right variety and quality of flowers and you show your flower bouquets and arrangements online, for everyone to see.

But, you believe you should have more flower orders. You’re wondering where are all the people delivering flowers to their loved ones?

You probably know that but you’re not the only one. There are many online shops that offer flowers to be delivered anywhere in the world. Open your browser and search for “online florists” – within less than a second you’ll have millions of results. All these did the same as you did. All are very talented and creative and offer wonderful flower arrangements.

When you run a flower shop, you have many things to think about. The most important ones are your suppliers, supplies and delivery vehicles.

One thing connects all these and that’s route planning. One of the reasons your wholesale florist or your online vendor can offer price discounts is that they’re using a route planner. The time, fuel and money your wholesale florist saves on route planning will in turn become your profit. You should do the same and reduce the time you spend on route planning your flowers delivery. Use a route planner to find the best route for your flowers deliveries, this will reduce your fuel consumption and ware and tare. Not to mention will improve your bottom line as well as on your carbon footprint.

Once your customers see the delivery charges displayed separately, they might think twice before they choose your flowers.

By cutting in delivery costs, you will be saving money and precious time that in turn will allow you to promise your customers the lowest possible prices and even offer them free deliveries. People usually prefer to order flowers from florists who don’t charge for delivery. Be smart, use a route planner and minimize your delivery costs so you can make your money from your wonderful flowers and let everyone enjoy them, as many as you can.

Here are a few tips that will make you be the florist people choose to buy from:

Promise same day flowers delivery, deliver on time and in perfect condition. Lots of florists can deliver flowers the same day or the next day, why should you be different?

Make sure orders are received before 12 noon, to assure same day delivery. This can obviously change and you’ll be the one deciding what time is the latest to receive orders, according to your territory, distance and delivery constraints but make sure you do set a time limit.

Make sure orders are filled by a qualified florist. You wouldn’t want people to get their flowers on time, but be disappointed that they received the wrong ones.

Only items requiring special handling or same day delivery can be charged differently than those delivered regularly or well in advance.

People will eventually understand that announcing “No service fees” doesn’t mean you charge more for the flowers to cover your service expenses. You honestly charge just for the flowers, because you were route planning your deliveries in a way that saved you money.

Your territory has 25 schools that needs to be visited and you have all these multiple addresses written in Excel file.

#

School Name

Address

Address

1

Office

64 Washington Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302

Chicago, IL 60602

2

Bell Elementary School

3730 N Oakley Ave

Chicago, IL 60618

3

Decatur Classical Elementary School

7030 N Sacramento Av

Chicago, IL 60645

4

Young Magnet High School

211 S Laflin St

Chicago, IL 60607

5

Edgebrook Elementary School

6525 N Hiawatha Ave

Chicago, IL 60646

6

Hawthorne Elementary Scholastic Academy

3319 N Clifton Ave

Chicago, IL 60657

7

Keller Elementary Gifted Magnet School

3020 W 108th St

Chicago, IL 60655

8

Jackson A Elementary Language Academy

1340 W Harrison St

Chicago, IL 60607

9

McDade Elementary Classical School

8801 S Indiana Ave

Chicago, IL 60619

10

Skinner Elementary School

1443 N Ogden Av

Chicago, IL 60610

11

Edison Regional Gifted Center

4929 North Sawyer St

Chicago, IL 60625

12

Lenart Elementary Regional Gifted Center

8101 S La Salle St

Chicago, IL 60620

13

Blaine Elementary School

1420 W Grace St

Chicago, IL 60613

14

Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center

225 W Evergreen Ave

Chicago, IL 60610

15

Lasalle Elementary Language Academy

1734 N Orleans St

Chicago, IL 60614

16

Courtenay Elementary Language Arts Center

1726 W Berteau Ave

Chicago, IL 60613

17

Lincoln Elementary School

615 W Kemper Pl

Chicago, IL 60614

18

Norwood Park Elementary School

5900 N Nina Ave

Chicago, IL 60631

19

Oriole Park Elementary School

5424 N Oketo Ave

Chicago, IL 60656

20

Audubon Elementary School

3500 N Hoyne Ave

Chicago, IL 60618

21

Burley Elementary School

1630 W Barry Ave

Chicago, IL 60657

22

Canty Elementary School

3740 N Panama Ave

Chicago, IL 60634

23

Coonley Elementary School

4046 N Leavitt St

Chicago, IL 60618

24

Chopin Elementary School

2450 W Rice St

Chicago, IL 60622

25

Disney Elementary Magnet School

4140 N Marine Dr

Chicago, IL 60613

26

Dore Elementary School

6108 S Natoma Ave

Chicago, IL 60638

You have two leaflet distributors doing these routes and you need them back as soon as possible for their next route. So you need this list separated into two different routes, both start from your office at 9:00.
You can Type the Start address in the first row, or add it to the list of addresses you have in Excel (in this example, the office is written in the excel, at the top).

A. You can import this file to the Route Planner:

Click Import File and select the file you wish to upload to MyRouteOnline.

Select the sheet which contains your data.

Check Ignore the first row if it contains the column header.

Check First/Last address if you have any (in this example you have a start address and we will make this a ‘return’ trip in the next step).

Select the right header for each column (Address/Title/Service Time/Filter-in/Filter-out/Ignore).

Review the import result and click Import Now.

B. Now that your list was imported, you should set all the needed routes parameters:

Check the Return box, to make sure your routes start and end at the office.

Departure time is 9:00.

Service time is the time the leaflet distributors spend at each stop (school).

Number of routes is 2 since you have two leaflet distributors. This may change according to your personnel or vehicles etc.

C. You can also set Multi-Route parameters (Max. Route Duration or Max Stops per route) but this is usually used when there are more addresses to visit.

Santa has this long never ending list of kids who have been good all year. These kids are waiting for their presents and Santa has to deliver an endless amount of toys, in such a short period of time. In order to be at these kids’ homes before Christmas, Santa has to stay no more than a few seconds at each one and that takes some serious route planning.

The mission – spreading Christmas happiness. Between delivering presents and entertaining people at the crowded malls, this mission seems impossible. Unless Santa’s presents distribution is somehow done automatically, using a route planner.

If Santa were to use a route planner, we would recommend these features:

Importing a file with his list since we wouldn’t expect him to manually type all the kids’ addresses.

Dividing each list to several routes since he needs to optimize his deliveries.

Planning his routes to be optimized by the fastest way so that this mission can be accomplished.

Setting service time since visiting malls should take much more time into consideration.

Changing the route plan to cope with last minute changes.

Getting a map with accurate turn-by-turn driving directions since the roads changed this past year and it’s so cold outside…

Send his routes to a GPS since he probably owns the most modern GPS device.

That’s it, let’s hope that Santa’s route planning is done automatically and all kids get their presents on time.
Merry Christmas and have a wonderful holiday!